紐時賞析／趕在大選前推法規 拜登政府加速批准潔淨能源申請

拜登政府发布旨在加速洁净能源许可的规定，同时要求联邦政府机构在批准公路或油井等项目前，更着重考量对于气候及低收入社区的有害影响。法新社

Biden Administration Moves to Speed Up Permits for Clean Energy

拜登政府加速批准洁净能源申请

The Biden administration released rules designed to speed up permits for clean energy while requiring federal agencies to more heavily weigh damaging effects on the climate and on low-income communities before approving projects like highways and oil wells.

拜登政府发布旨在加速洁净能源许可的规定，同时要求联邦政府机构在批准公路或油井等项目前，更着重考量对于气候及低收入社区的有害影响。

As part of a deal to raise the country’s debt limit last year, Congress required changes to the National Environmental Policy Act, a 54-year-old bedrock law that requires the government to consider environmental effects and to seek public input before approving any project that necessitates federal permits.

作为去年为提高国家债务上限所做协议一部分，国会要求修改施行54年的基础法律「国家环境政策法」，该法要求政府批准任何须取得联邦许可的项目前，要考虑环境影响并寻求公众参与。

That bipartisan debt ceiling legislation included reforms to the environmental law designed to streamline the approval process for major construction projects, such as oil pipelines, highways and power lines for wind- and solar-generated electricity. The rules released by the White House Council on Environmental Quality are intended to guide federal agencies in putting the reforms in place.

那项两党支持的债务上限法律，包括该环境法律的改革，意在让石油管线、公路以及风力或太阳能发电用的电线等重大建案，批准流程更精简流畅。白宫环境品质委员会发布的规定，目标就是引导联邦政府机构将这些改革推动上路。

But they also lay out additional requirements created to prioritize projects with strong environmental benefits, while adding layers of review for projects that could harm the climate or their surrounding communities.

但它们也明列了额外规定，其创设目的是赋予优先地位给具可观环境效益项目，同时对可能危害气候或周边社区的项目增设层层审核。

“These reforms will deliver smarter decisions, quicker permitting, and projects that are built better and faster,” said Brenda Mallory, chair of the council. “As we accelerate our clean energy future, we are also protecting communities from pollution and environmental harms that can result from poor planning and decision-making while making sure we build projects in the right places.”

「这些改革会造就更聪明的决策、更迅速的许可，工程兴建也会更妥善、更快速」，前述委员会主席马洛瑞说，「时值我们加速迈向洁净能源的未来，我们也在保护社区，免于规画或决策失当可能导致的污染或环境伤害，并且确保我们把建案盖在对的地方。」

The move comes as President Joe Biden rushes to push through a slew of major environmental rules before November’s presidential election, including policies to limit climate-warming pollution from cars, trucks, power plants and oil and gas wells; to protect the habitats of the sage grouse and other endangered species; to ban asbestos; and to remove so-called forever chemicals from tap water.

此举正值拜登赶着在11月总统选举前，推行一连串重大环境法规，其中政策包括要限制来自汽车、卡车、发电厂、油井与天然气井的气候暖化污染，保护艾草松鸡和其他濒危物种的栖息地，禁止石棉，并从自来水里清除所谓的永久化学物质。

The rules could help to more quickly carry out Biden’s signature climate law, the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, which includes at least $370 billion in tax incentives to expand renewable energy, such as wind and solar power, as well as electric vehicles. The new rules released by the White House Council for Environmental Quality would also allow projects that have a demonstrated long-term environmental benefit to receive expedited environmental reviews or bypass them altogether.

这些规定可能帮助更快履行拜登的招牌气候法律「2022年降低通膨法」，内含至少3,700亿美元租税奖励以推展风电、光电等再生能源及电动车。白宫环境品质委员会的新规，也会让经表明具长期环境效益的项目享有加速环境审核，或直接绕过审核。

文／Coral Davenport　译／高诣轩